lines in the sand
by sidm402
Summary: Because the fire lord needs a wife, and a princess will always do her duty. [A new take on an old tale]


the wedding,

**prologue:**

It was said that in the beginning the fire god Agni once roamed the universe looking for a place to call his home. When he came upon earth and saw that it was dark, he carved out one of his own eyes, reached out into the sky and placed it amongst the shadows to light his new home. He called it the sun. Once there was light, man came to Agni and praised him, for they had been living without seeing for so long, and were so grateful for beacon of warmth and illumination. For their praise the god Agni bestowed upon them great power, so that nevermore would they have to live in darkness. But man did not know how to use these gifts, so the god Agni created beasts of fire to guide and teach them what he could not. This is how fire benders came to be.

It was said that once the earth was blessed with the lights of the god Agni, man, so accustomed to living in darkness, could no longer sleep peacefully. The spirits Tui and La noticed this, and together carved their hearts to join as one. They placed it up into the sky, above the oceans and declared that when each day ended, the sun would fall, and the moon would rise for the night. Man then came to Tui and La and praised them, for they had been living without rest for so long. For their praise Tui and La bestowed upon them great power, so that when the moon rose they would be able to control water by watching the ocean tides push and pull. This is how water benders came to be.

The fire god Agni was unhappy at what Tui and La had done. He declared that from that day forward those with the power of sun and light would never seek peace from those who controlled water and ice. That the two would forever be locked in an unending and battle, for water and fire were natural enemies. And from that day forward, it was so.

When the firenation first began its expansion under Fire Lord Ozai's rule, the world was thrown into chaos. Firelord Ozai rained terror down on the people, slaughtering entire cities and reclaiming them in the firenations image. The only person with enough power to defeat him was the Avatar, a young airbender named Aang. Despite his youth, and lack of training the Avatar was successful in dethroning firelord Ozai, and in turn placed Ozai's estranged brother Iroh, temporarily in charge of the firenations affairs. However, the rightful heir to the throne, Zuko, would be set to claim the title within the next year. Despite the fact that Iroh and Zuko had been radically against Ozai's rule, the earth kingdom was not convinced and required extra precaution to prove the fire nations good intentions.

This is where we currently find ourselves.

"How do I look?"

The bodice of her cheongsam was snug fitting and the pale gold pattern of the dress completed her tan skin nicely. The high collar made her naturally slender neck look even more regal and graceful, and through the nearly thigh high slits on the sides just enough leg was showcased to make Katara blush a deep cherry red. The gown ended just at her ankles, hovering over the tips of her slipper incased feet. She had never in her life shown this much skin and hadn't at all anticipated being married in such a revealing dress. But firenation customs, she had quickly come to realize, were much different than in the waternation, and dutifully, she had adjusted.

"You look beautiful Princess, as the future fire lady should. " Her handmaiden Meifen, reassured her gently, winding her long damp mane of inky black hair up into the traditional firenation topknot. "As I am sure your mother did on her wedding day. She would be very proud to see you now."

Katara smiled at that, rubbing the hollow junction of her neck where her mother's necklace usually rested it, before remembering that she had removed it in anticipation of the ceremony. "I hope so." Stark lines of kohl rimmed her wide cerulean eyes and she gazed at her complexion in the mirror, half hoping to see a shred of her mother's fierceness and courage shine back at her. She looked pretty; smooth, olive skin powdered to perfection, the dark ruby of her plump lips and the starkness of her well-groomed eyebrows. Her normally untamable hair was sleek and polished up in an elegant braided chignon, a single golden circlet rested daintily on the crown of her head. Pretty enough to be fire lady.

Hopefully, pretty enough to please her husband.

She had never seen Prince Zuko before. He hadn't come to negotiate the marriage treaty with her father, or to greet her when her ship had docked last week. According to fire nation custom, it was tradition for the groom to not meet his intended until the actual wedding ceremony. She had heard stories of him though. He was said to be very handsome, tall and strong. The people admired him for the good he was doing, the good he had already done. Rebuilding the earth kingdom, resettling the firenation colonies, making peace with the monks and the water tribes. Seeking redemption for his father's crimes.

When her own father, Hakoda, had first approached her with the marriage contract idea, Katara had cried herself to sleep every night for a full week. But it was her duty, as a daughter to the chief, as a princess to her people, to do whatever she could to make things better, so she accepted, and left everything she knew and loved behind to marry a man she knew nothing about.

Getting married in his armor seemed vaguely ridiculous in hindsight, but the monks had been incredibly serious about following the old traditions during this marriage. The idea of a mixed nation marriage wasn't unheard of, but it never, ever happened amongst royalty, for fear of sullying the royal bloodline. But times of war called for drastic measures, and Zuko had convinced them, after months of back and forth, that this would be the best way to convince the other nations of his good intentions.

Adjusting the crown from where it sat, nestled in his hair, Prince Zuko sighed tiredly at his exhausted reflection. Pledging himself to an unknown woman in an unbreakable marriage had seemed like a much better idea last week, when his approval ratings were in the low thirties and he'd been receiving more death threats than letters of encouragement.

At twenty-two, he was going to be the youngest firelord in the history of the nation with more responsibility on his shoulders than he readily knew how to handle. Uncle Iroh had been steadily coaching him on how to lead, and would become his official advisor after the coronation, but Uncle Iroh couldn't fight all of his battles for him. It wasn't fair.

A lot of things weren't fair, he supposed.

Someone wrapped gently on the door to his bedroom and he let out a soft grunt of displeasure and mildly said, "Come in." plopping himself down at the edge of his desk. He'd sent all his attendents away an hour ago, so he could pace in peace.

It was his uncle of course, shuffling in with a wide grin on his wrinkled, kind face and a bowl of something fragrant and steaming in his hands.

"Could you be anymore cheerful, uncle?"

"It is not everyday my only nephew gets married." He handed Zuko the bowl "Drink this. You need to wake up, my boy, or you'll fall asleep during your own wedding."

It tasted foul, but Zuko downed it anyway, in one large gulp, shivering as it slid down his throat to curl in his belly. Uncle patted his back gently in comfort.

"Is everything ready?" Zuko half hoped that she'd gotten cold feet, the girl, Katara. Maybe she had decided that she didn't want to do this, that she wasn't ready. Maybe they could work out some other peace treaty, or at least have a little more time, but at the somber look on Irohs face, Zuko knew that was not the case.

"Whenever you're ready nephew."

Zuko gulped. "Lets get this over with."


End file.
